Retina

The retina contains millions of light-sensitive cells (rods and cones) and other nerve cells that receive and organise visual information. It sends this information to the brain through the optic nerve, allowing you to see. Treatment is available for a number of retinal diseases; depending on your condition, the aim may be to stop or slow the disease and to maintain, improve or restore your vision.

What we treat

The retina team sees the full range of retinal and macular disease: age-related macular degeneration, including Valeda light therapy for the dry form; diabetic retinopathy; retinal holes and tears and retinal detachment; epiretinal membrane; retinal vein occlusion and retinal artery occlusion; and vitreous floaters, including laser treatment. Surgical cases are handled in our retina surgery service.

How we investigate

Every retinal examination is done in the clinic on the same visit: dilated examination of the fundus, OCT and OCT angiography to image the layers of the macula and its blood vessels without dye, digital fundus photography to document change over time, and fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography where the blood vessels themselves need to be studied. Ocular ultrasound lets us see the retina when the view is blocked by bleeding or a dense cataract.

When to book

• The same day: a sudden shower of new floaters, flashes of light, or a shadow or curtain spreading across your vision. These can be signs of a retinal tear or detachment, and treating a tear early can prevent a detachment.
• The same day: sudden, painless loss of vision in one eye, which can be a blocked retinal artery or vein.
• Within days: straight lines that look wavy or bent, a blurred or missing patch in the centre of your vision, or a sudden change in reading vision.
• Regularly: if you have diabetes, a yearly retinal examination even when your vision feels fine. Diabetic retinopathy is treatable, and most sight loss from it is preventable when it is found early.

Your specialists

Retinal patients are seen by Dr Odysseas Georgiadis, Dr Georgios Vartsakis and Dr Elisabeth Tsianda, vitreoretinal and medical retina specialists who trained and practised in the United Kingdom and Sweden.